Encouraging believers to learn and live the truth of God's Word

Tag: sacrifice

How’s Your Sacrifice?

In this passage, the Lord uses the analogy of a servant’s relationship to his master and a son’s relationship to his father to illustrate the fact that as Israel’s Heavenly Father, he deserved the utmost honor and respect; as Israel’s Master and Lord, he deserved reverential fear. God phrases this analogy in the form of a question, which God often does to prick the hearts of men and cause them to consider their ways:

If then I be a father, where is mine honour?
And if I be a master, where is my fear?

Malachi 1:6 (KJV)

God’s intention in posing this question to the priests was to show them that godly fear and honor did not exist in their lives. The chief reason that God identifies for the dearth of these two spiritual qualities is the priests’ ungodly attitude towards God and His work. God said they were guilty of despising His name and calling the table of the Lord contemptible (utterly despicable). As a result of this attitude, the priests were in the business of profaning the Lord’s Name and work by sacrificing polluted, blemished animals on the Lord’s altar instead of the unblemished, proper sacrifices required by the Old Testament law.

Friend, there is much application for us to make from this passage concerning the New Testament believer-priest as he or she worships God. First, the proper honor, respect, and fear of God must envelop every facet of our lives. It is easy for us to give lip-service to the fact that we honor, love, and fear the Lord, but if these qualities are not the consistent tenor of our public and private lives, then we face the same indictment placed upon the priests of Israel.

Second, we must have the right attitude while doing God’s work. Beware when Satan begins to tempt you with subtle murmurings and disputings about the responsibilities you have in your local church, or how much you are constrained to give in the services, whether in time or money. From these seemingly small complaints arises a spirit of discontentment which, in time, will solidify into the callous of utter disdain and contempt for the Lord and His work.

Lastly, we must bring proper spiritual sacrifices before the Lord. When our fear of the Lord has waned, our attitudes have gone sour, and our spirits have become hardened to the things of God, we will offer the polluted sacrifices of heartless praise, dead worship, lackadaisical service, and carnal living to the Lord. Not only that, but we will, like Cain, expect God to accept our offerings even though we know that our actions are not pleasing in His sight. When we as believer-priests find ourselves in such a state, it is then when the Lord sternly reminds us that “sin lieth at the door.”

Yet, God in His love still admonishes us to repent. If we confess our sin of dishonoring the Lord in our life and service, then God will remain faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse our hearts so that we may offer to Him the holy, acceptable, living sacrifices of heart-filled praise, Spirit-filled worship, fervent service, and consecrated living. May God help us to be in such a state every day of our Christian lives.

Christ’s Sacrifce on the Cross Paid for All our Sins Forever

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Leviticus 14:13

(13) And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy:

Hebrews 10:12

(12) But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Hebrews 10:14

(14) For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Our text today includes three verses, one from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament. Today, the author would like to explain the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross.

If we take a look at the verse from Leviticus, we see that the Bible refers to the “sin offering”. First, what is a sin offering?

Let’s take a look back at Exodus for a moment:

Exodus 29:14

But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

The word “bullock” here is referring to a young bullock without blemish (or without any sort of disease, deformity, or other problem). The Bible says that the flesh, skin, and dung of the bull was to be burned with fire for a sin offering. This establishes the principle found in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death. The young bullock had to die as an atonement for sin.

Now, let’s take a look at Leviticus.

Leviticus 5:1-6

(1) And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.

(2) Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.

(3) Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.

(4) Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these.

(5) And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing:

(6) And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.

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The Bible says in Leviticus that “if a soul sin…he shall bear his iniquity.” This once again confirms the principle found in Romans 6:23 that sin has a penalty, a wage, or an earning. That earning is death as we saw in Exodus 29:14. In Leviticus, the Bible also says that a trespass offering needed to be offered unto the Lord for “his sin which he hath sinned.” The Bible said that this animal needed to be a female from the flock, a lamb, or a kid of the goats for a sin offering. The priest then was to make an atonement (or a temporary covering) concerning his sin.But, death is not the only penalty for sin. Listen to the next part of God’s commandment concerning the sin offering:

Leviticus 5:8-9

8, And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder:

9, And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering.

The Bible says that the blood of the lamb was to be sprinkled on the side of the altar and that the rest of the blood was to be wrung out at the bottom of the altar as a sin offering. Thus, both death AND the shedding of blood was necessary to atone, or pay, for sin.

You may be asking by this point: where is the author going with all this? What the author is trying to get at is that Jesus’ death on the Cross was the fulfillment of all these sacrifices and sin offerings that are recorded in the Old Testament. How so?

1. Leviticus 5:1 establishes the fact that the soul that sinned must “bear his iniquity.” This means that there is a penalty for sin. However, the Bible states that Jesus Christ has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows and that the iniquity of us all was laid on him. In other words, Jesus Christ himself paid the penalty for all our sins so we wouldn’t have to!

Isaiah 53:4, 6

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The Bible says that God the Father laid on Jesus Christ (his Son) the iniquity of us all. The penalty for sin rested solely on Jesus Christ.

2. Exodus 29:14 establishes the fact that death is the penalty for sin, which is restated in Romans 6:23. Jesus died a cruel death on an old, rugged Cross so we could be saved from our sin, and live eternally with Him.

 

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3. Leviticus 5:8-10 establishes the fact that blood must be shed in order to pay for sin. This is confirmed again in 1 John 1:7b:

“…and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Finally, in John 1, John the Baptist identified Jesus as the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God that paid the sin offering for our sin: he bore our iniquity on the Cross by dying for our sins; he shed his blood on the Cross and through his beatings, and Jesus Christ was a sinless Lamb of God, which made Jesus Christ the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for all our sin. Praise God. This is why Hebrews declares:

Hebrews 10:12

(12) But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Hebrews 10:14

(14) For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Jesus’ one offering for sins on the Cross 2,000 years ago paid for all sins: past, present, and future. The only thing you have to do is simply accept Jesus’ sacrifice via his gift of salvation by believing in Christ through faith.

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Ephesians 2:8-9

“For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Friend, you cannot earn your salvation through good works or through the killing of lambs or goats. Jesus Christ was and is the perfect propitiation (satisfying sacrifice) for our sin. Our good works will not amount to anything, nor will any animal sacrifices. If you still believe that your good works can get you to Heaven, consider the following verses:

Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The above verses clearly state that even our “good deeds” cannot get us to Heaven. Only the Blood of Christ can pay for our sin.

Hebrews 9:22b “…without shedding of blood is no remission.”

Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Friend, if you desire to accept Jesus’ sacrifice today through His free gift of salvation, please do not hesitate to click here. May God bless you as you desire to trust Him as your Lord and Savior.

Jesus Gave His Life as a Ransom for Many

5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

~1 Timothy 2:5-6 (KJV)

As we read yesterday about Christ’s crucifixion, you may be asking why would Jesus willingly be mocked, beat, scorned, and crucified just for us? You may understand the fact that it was prophesied that Jesus would be crucified for the sins of the world, but you still may not understand why Jesus came. The reason why Jesus came is three-fold:

  1. He loved us (John 3:16).
  2. To seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).
  3. To give his life a ransom for many (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

Today, we will focus on Jesus Christ being a ransom for our sin. Firstly, what is a ransom?

“1. The money or price paid for the redemption of a prisoner or slave, or for goods captured by an enemy; that which procures the release of a prisoner or captive, or of captured property, and restores the one to liberty and the other to the original owner.

5. The price paid for procuring the pardon of sins and the redemption of the sinner from punishment.

Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom Job 33:24.

The Son of man came – to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28. Mark 10:45.” (Webster)

In the context of 1 Timothy 2:5-6, the first and fifth definitions of the word ransom fit best. This is because the Greek word used here for ransom means a “redemption price (Strong Greek 487).” Because Jesus Christ was righteous and sinless, he qualified to be the Lamb of God to pay the “redemption price (Strong Greek 487)” for our sin, which was death on the Cross. By paying this price, Jesus is able to save us from our sins via the free gift of salvation.

Remember Romans 6:23?

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Jesus paid that wage, or earning for sin, which was death on Calvary’s Cross. Well, why would Jesus do that? Because He loves us unconditionally, and he desires that all men would come to know Jesus Christ. As one commentary puts it:

“There is one God (v. 5), and one only, there is no other, there can be no other, for there can be but one infinite. This one God will have all men to be saved; he desires not the death and destruction of any (Ezekiel 33:11), but the welfare and salvation of all. Not that he has decreed the salvation of all, for then all men would be saved; but he has a good will to the salvation of all, and none perish but by their own fault, (Matthew 23:37) . He will have all to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth, to be saved in the way that he has appointed and not otherwise.” (Henry)

God desires for all of us to be saved and dwell forever in Heaven with Him. He also desires for us to live an abundant, victorious Christian life through His eternal sacrifice that was offered on the Cross over 2,000 years ago. If you are not 100% certain that if you were to die today, you would go to Heaven, please read God’s plan of salvation by clicking here.

Bibliography:

Webster, Noah. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of the English Language. 1828. Ebook.

Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Updated Edition KJV. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009. Print.

Henry, Matthew. “1 Timothy 2 Commentary.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible . 1706. Web.

The Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus (Bible Reading)

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Today’s article will be slightly different. Since it is Wednesday, the author thought it appropriate to post the details of Christ’s crucifixion and burial based on the Gospel of Luke. Please allow God to speak to your heart through His Word as you read about Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross.

Tomorrow’s post will resume to the normal format and will be based on 1 Timothy 2:5-6.

Luke Chapter 23 (KJV)

1 And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate.

2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.

3 And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it.

4 Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.

5 And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.

6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilean.

7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.

8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.

9 Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.

10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him.

11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.

12 And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.

13 And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,

14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:

15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.

16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him.

17 (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)

18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:

19 (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)

20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them.

21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.

22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.

23 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.

24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.

25 And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.

27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.

28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.

30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.

33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.

36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,

37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.

38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.

46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.

48 And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned.

49 And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.

50 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:

51 (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.

52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.

53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.

54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.

55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.

56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

Jesus’ Sacrifice on the Cross Was Prophesied and Fulfilled

John 11:47-53 (KJV)

Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.

And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.

And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.

In this lengthy passage of Scripture, we see that the Pharisees (the haughty Jewish religious sect that continuously opposed Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry) and the council (the Jewish Sanhedrin) were aware of all the miracles that Jesus had done over the past few weeks. Because of all these miracles, many people believed on Jesus Christ. However, the Pharisees feared that if Jesus continued to do these miracles, “all men would believe on Him.” Thus, the Pharisees made the proclamation that it was urgent to put Jesus to death. In doing so, the Pharisees failed to realize that they were fulfilling the prophecy that Jesus was to be “hated without reason [see Psalm 35:19 and John 15:24-25]” (Hindson, Falwell, et al., 1962), and in plotting for his death, they failed to realize that God was about to fulfill the prophecy that Jesus would become the “vicarious sacrifice [see Isaiah 53:5 and Romans 5:6, 8]” (Hindson, Falwell, et al., 1962) that would take away the sin of the world.

Our text tells us that Jesus should die “not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.” This parallels with yesterday’s topic verse: 1 John 2:2

“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Jesus did not die just for our sins, or for the sins of Israel, but for the sins of the whole world. You might be asking: how is this possible? Let’s take a look at the book of Isaiah for some insight on the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross:

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The first part of this verse says that Jesus Christ was wounded for our transgressions. This refers to the crucifixion of our Lord as he was “pierced through hands and feet” (Hindson, Falwell, et al., 1962) This was first prophesied by Zechariah in Zechariah 12:10:

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

The above was later confirmed in John 20:27 (Hindson, Falwell, et al., 1962) when Jesus told Thomas to feel the wounds in his hands and the wound in his side:

“Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”

Secondly, Isaiah says that “he was bruised for our iniquities.” This refers to the fact that Jesus was “spat upon and smitten” as recorded in Matthew 26:67; this was prophesied by Isaiah once again in Isaiah 50:6 (Hindson, Falwell, et al., 1962):

“I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”

Now let’s look at Matthew 26:67:

“Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,”

Thirdly, Isaiah says that the “chastisement of our peace was upon him.” In other words, Jesus died so that we might have an opportunity to be saved and be at peace (or reconciled) to God. This was fulfilled in 1 Peter 2:24:

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Jesus died so that we, as sinners who were condemned to death, could live unto righteousness (be saved and live for him).

Finally, Isaiah said that “with his stripes, ye are healed.” When Jesus shed his Blood on Calvary’s Cross, it successfully atoned (or paid for) our sin. On the Cross, Jesus was truly displayed as the “mirror of agonizing love” (Spurgeon); his love was displayed like no other. Jesus Christ showed the greatest example of love on this Earth. His love was unconditional, yet so precious that his bloody stripes are able to heal us of the deadly disease of sin if you will simply accept Him as your Lord and Savior today. If you would like to do this, please click here.

For the Christian, as we reflect upon Jesus death and burial during this time of Easter, and “as we feel the sure and blessed healing which his stripes have wrought in us, does not our heart melt at once with love and grief” (Spurgeon)? Let us check the condition of our hearts this morning and reflect upon the price that was paid by Jesus to save us and let us thank God continually for his vicarious sacrifice, Jesus Christ, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Bibliography:

Hindson, Edward, Jerry Falwell, et al. “Messianic Prophecies.” The King James Study  Bible. 2.Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2013. 1962. Print.

Spurgeon, Charles. “March 31 (3/31/2018) – Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Bible Gateway Devotionals.” BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages.

Bible Gateway, Web. 27 Mar 2018.

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